Delhi gang-rape: Brinda demands action against policemen

Howrah (WB): Senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat on Thursday decried the gang-rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student on Sunday night in Delhi and demanded that the policemen who failed to notice the irregularities of the bus where the crime was committed be punished.

"The policemen responsible should be suspended and action be taken against them," Karat told a rally organised by women`s wings of left parties here.

The bus in which the woman was gang-raped by six men had tinted glasses, which is banned in Delhi, and it plied for 40 minutes on the roads but remained undetected by the police.

The matter came to light when the woman and her male friend, who were also beaten up for resisting, were thrown out of the bus.

Referring to the situation in West Bengal, she said women were not safe in the state too and lamented that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described incidents of rape as `fabricated`.

Earlier in the year, Banerjee had termed two rape cases `sajano ghatana` (fabricated incident) at upscale Park Street area in Kolkata and at Katwa in Burdwan district.

"Even when a police officer wants to work on a rape case the officer was transferred," the CPI(M) leader said.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Damayanti Sen, the IPS officer who cracked the Park Street rape case, had been transferred along with several other IPS officers in a `routine transfer`.

"Women were not safe even inside the assembly," Karat said on the assault of Jharkhand Party MLA Deblina Hembram allegedly by Trinamool legislator on December 11 in the house.

"Anti-socials were getting encouraged by such comments and actions of the ruling party," she said adding "We are demanding security of all women."

Later, leaders of women`s wings of left parties submitted a deputation on torture of women in Howrah district to the district magistrate.